COVERED WAGONS

Covered wagons were the most common
means of transportation for pioneers traveling
across the Great Plains in the mid–nineteenth
century. Fashioned after the larger and heavier
Conestoga wagons, developed by the Pennsylvania
Dutch a century earlier, the design produced
a vehicle strong enough to carry loads
of 2,000–3,000 pounds yet light enough to
avoid excessive strain to the teams of oxen and
mules that pulled it. Wagon beds were constructed
of hardwoods such as maple, hickory,
and oak and averaged four feet in width and
ten to twelve feet in length. The undercarriage
housed the wheels, axle assemblies, and support
systems, with iron utilized in the construction
only to reinforce those wagon parts
under the greatest amount of stress such as the
wooden wheels. A wagon's rear wheels might
reach six feet in height to allow for clearance
on the Plains, while its shorter front wheels
provided for some maneuverability.

The most familiar feature of the covered
wagon of the Great Plains, its billowing cover,
was usually a heavy-duty canvas that served as
the pioneers' only protection against the elements
and other hazards. A frame of hardwood
bows supported this cover, and strong
ties secured it to the sides of the wagon bed.
Many pioneers designed the canvas cover to
be rolled and tied back during the summer
months to allow for better circulation. The
full outfitting of the covered wagon of the
Great Plains was not an inexpensive endeavor
and could cost as much as $1,500.